Mutant Ninja Turtles: A New Dawn
by Kat Monroe
Summary: The turtles are now 20 years old. Mikey's still a kid, Leo's still a leader, Don's still pretty much a genius, and Raph is actually growing up some. First chapter focuses on Donny; you see, being a mutant turtle can get pretty lonely...
1. Episode 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. That is all.

Donatello sat in his room working with the makeshift chemistry set he had created. Normally Donatello wasn't much for biological or chemical science, but he had decided do delve into awhile ago for somewhat personal reasons. Recently he had been putting more time into it. He looked over at the little river turtle in a glass cage someone had thrown out because of a crack near the top. A crack near the top wouldn't affect a turtle's environment. He had placed a weighted piece of cardboard with small holes in it on top of the cage just in case Michaelangelo's cat got in his room.

Don picked up the little turtle and looked down at her in his hands.

"It won't be long now. I'll figure it out Mari." He said stroking her shell.

A second or so later Raph walked by the door and peered in.

"Hey, Don, don't you think it's a little strange to have a turtle for a pet when you _are a turtle?" he said._

Don ignored him and turned away. Raph just walked away, apparently uninterested in talking about it further. Don stroked Mari's shell one more time and went to put her back. In his hands she very unsuccessfully tried to stand on two legs. He laughed a little at the sight.

"Soon, Mari, soon." He whispered and put her back in her cage.

Donatello turned to go back to work but his stomach growled. He left the room instead to fetch some food. The room was left alone and silent, the little turtle looking ahead, face against the glass, at the table where Don had been working. He was working there to make her like them. He was trying to recreate the chemical from TGRI, the mutagen which caused them to change. If not recreate the substance, then create one with a similar purpose. Don knew he shouldn't mess with things like that since he and his brothers were accidents, but he knew, somehow, that Mari wanted to be like him, and he wanted Mari. He kept what he was working on a secret; Splinter would surely disapprove as well as his brothers. Besides, this was just something for him alone, something he felt he needed to do.

Later that day, Don returned to his room. He was anxious to get back to his work; he felt he was very close. Don was still very unsure how he would test his work after a few adjustments. The thought of mutating a bug was a bit gross. He knew that he should create an antigen first in case the results were horrible. There were so many variables in this type of equation.

As he neared his room and was surprised to see Mike's cat Klunk dash out into the hallway at near top speed and a second later he was horrified. Something must have happened to make him run from the room that fast. Don race ahead and into the open door, which he couldn't believe he left open. His eyes widened in shock. That blasted cat knocked over Mari's cage and dropped Mari on his desk, onto the tubes of chemicals Don was working with, knocking them over and scaring the damned cat out of the room. He rushed to Mari and grabbed a towel. He picked her up with the towel and began wiping her off. He stopped for a moment and looked at her. Was it his imagination or did she seem slightly bigger?

Don rushed her to the bathroom and began to wash her with a wet rag. He looked at a minor wound no doubt from Mike's cat holding her in his mouth. He applied a tiny rag tied over the area and lifted her again without any rags. He blinked at her; she was definitely bigger. He carried Mari back to his room and set her on his bed. He went to work cleaning up the mess on his desk and part of his floor, avoiding any contact with his skin. He even wore some shabby gloves as he wiped up with a towel and ran back to the bathroom for soap and water. After he finished cleaning his desk as best he could and returning to his room after disposing of some things he stood at the door.

It was apparent that Mari was growing. There would be no way she would fit in her cage now. Don was worried about her and knelt before the bed. Mari crawled over to him and nuzzled her head on his. He looked at her and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. She nuzzled him again.

Just then Mike walks by complaining.

"Hey Don, Klunk has a bite mark on him did…" Mike stopped speaking and stared at the not so small river turtle named Mari that lay on Don's bed.

Mike's cat ran from Mike's arms and far away. Don turned to his little brother and gaped.

"Mikey, it's not what it looks like." Don went silent unable to think of anything else to say as he stood there.

Raph appeared a moment later and peered around the frozen Mike.

"Woah! What the hell have you been working on in here Don?" Raph said slightly freaked out.

Don stood there a moment before putting his hands on his head and sitting on the ground. He shook his head and looked at his brothers.

"It was an accident. That fleabag knocked my experiment onto Mari after trying to eat her." Was all he could say.

"Exactly what kind of experiment were you working on that would cause this kind of result? I thought you were smarter than this Dan!" Raph said getting a little steamed.

Leonardo and Splinter came down the hallway to see what the ruckus was about. Leo glimpsed what was going on first. He seemed shocked.

"Don, how could you?" Leo said disappointedly.

"You shouldn't be messin' with mutagens." Raph said uneasy.

"Why couldn't you have just left it alone?" Leo said rather harshly.

Splinter moved forward and everyone moved enough to let him see. Don sat on the floor, ashamed and feeling helpless. This was not how it was supposed to go at all. Worst of all, now he didn't know if Mari would be alright.

"Donatello, do you understand what you have done?" Splinter said firmly yet softly.

"More than I'd like to." Replied Don.

Splinter bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes. He raised his head again and looked into Don's eyes.

"I do not approve of your behavior nor of what you have done, but I can understand why you would have done it. That still does not make it right, Donatello. You must not mess with the process of life. Since you have already created a mess, you must now take care of her. You must watch her to be certain she is all right. The variables are endless when you are trifling with life. Always remember this Donatello." He said.

"I will." Said Don, tears from earlier still very evident in his eyes.

The others were somewhat surprised at Splinter's reaction. They expected him to be as appalled and angered as Leon. Still they could see the remnants of tears on their brother's face. He knew what he had done; there was nothing else to be said.

"What's done is done, and Donatello, you are grounded. You will not be allowed to the surface unless it is an absolute emergency. Understood?" Splinter added.

"Sensei…, I understand Sensei…" Don said not quite believing that he was being grounded even though he's twenty now.

Mike almost laughed but managed to hold it back. Raph stormed away to take some anger out on his punching bag. Leon followed Splinter as he turned to go. Lately Leo has followed Splinter everywhere. That worried Don; was his sensei all right? Mikey left slowly eying the turtle on Don's bed. After he was alone again, he turned back to the turtle on his bed.

Don was worried about how fast she seemed to be growing. He worried that the formula may have had some major flaw in it that he missed or that something had gone wrong and that she wouldn't be all right. He never wanted harm to come to her. Was it too terrible to love a turtle that wasn't quite like him? Would she be like him soon? He made a decision to sleep on the floor that night and leave the bed to her. He closed the door and went through the chemical composition in his head. He grabbed a pencil and went through possible outcomes from one variable and the next until he collapsed on the papers he was writing on. He was fast asleep and Mari slept too, growing and changing throughout the night. Though her and Don slept decently, the others in their home slept uneasy, knowing that their brother had done something unexpected.

Donatello woke the next morning with a slight headache from thinking too hard. He looked at the bed from his sitting position. The ever-growing Mari was still there. She was still sleeping, moving ever so slightly. Don got up gradually and headed out quietly to put some fuel in his belly so he could think some more about variables and outcomes. He didn't want to miss any possible problem. He passed Raph in the hallway. He was heading the opposite direction of Don and said nothing as he passed. Apparently he was still angry, or maybe he was ashamed of him.

As Don entered the kitchen area he sat down. He began to think about why he really decided to do this. Don knew it was wrong to mess with the natural way of life. He knew the consequences of doing an experiment involving a living being and how unethical it was, yet he did it anyway. He had reasoned out everything in his head until it seemed perfectly ok in his mind. This, he thought, was really a matter of the heart overtaking the mind, and perhaps loneliness driving him to a brief period of insanity. What other things might he have done had he let his mind go? What if he hadn't decided to recreate a similar chemical to the one that gave birth to them? He would have gone crazier he reasoned. This was something he had to do, even if it was morally wrong. If he hadn't… He stopped himself from finishing that thought. He did what he did, that was that.

He finished drinking some orange juice and eating a slice of leftover pizza and headed back to his room. Don entered and stared at the turtle on his bed. She was trying to sit awkwardly and nearly fell over. He smiled meekly; this girl was the reason he reasoned the unreasonable. He loved her he realized and she was always beautiful in his eyes. She looked directly at him like she always did; only now the sadness he used to see was replaced by hope and admiration.

He worked on possible outcomes until lunch and was beginning to get a bit optimistic. She didn't seem to be following the patterns of any of the negative outcomes so far. Don decided he should feed her something. He left and returned to his room with two plates. One had a small meal for him to eat and the other held various foods for her to try. He set his plate down and walked over to her. He handed her a slice of fruit, an apple and she tried to take it. After she failed he placed it in her mouth with his own hand. She ate it and liked nearly everything he brought for her. Don was pleased and soon finished his own food as he sat down back to work.

It went on like this for several days. Occasionally one of Don's brothers would briefly stop by to check on her progress and get a report from Don. She was changing more and more and so far the only bad thing that had happened was that she threw up after trying a piece of anchovy pizza. Though Don was pleased by this, there were still these feelings inside him about briefly losing it, about how maybe it wasn't so bad what he did, being afraid he might do something a bit crazy again.

In the next four months she had grown to full size, learned to walk, talk, and eat. They had even begun to teach her rudimentary martial arts and meditation. By six months Don had let himself relax some. There didn't seem to be any side effects whatsoever. He still watched for any sign of something wrong, but now he was enjoying her presence. She still had not seen the surface and for now everyone agreed to keep her down below. The seventh month from the accident, Mari picked her first weapon, having already becoming quite skilled with the starter bo.

They were all in the Dojo area, Sensei Splinter sitting comfortably on a mat on the floor. No one was practicing, everyone was watching Mari. Mari swung the bokken downward and back. She had taken to martial arts like a turtle to water. She spun slowly twirling the sword. She kicked and flipped backwards. She held the bokken with both hands in front of her and giggled slightly. Don stood up and hugged her. Everyone watched his emotional outburst, yet remained quiet.

After that moment Splinter said they may begin sparring. Unfortunately Mikey's stomach thought otherwise and chose that instant to growl, very loudly in fact.

"Apparently my stomach says it's time for lunch." Mikey said and everyone managed a little laugh and/or shake of the head.

They left the dojo, Mari remaining behind a moment longer. Don walked back over to her and she looked up at him. She wore a light purple band around her head. She didn't really have much visible muscle, but her agility and proficiency more than made up for it. She had come so far in so little time. Don smiled at her and she smiled back, then they began to leave the dojo together. Leo appeared at the door as they left. Sensei Splinter walked toward the door and Leo walked with him.

"My son, I am uneasy about Donatello." Splinter said.

"Why, Sensei? Does it have to do with Mari and him?" Leo responded.

"That may only be a part of it. He should still have remorse about what he's done. I worry his conscience is alluding him." Splinter answered.

"Sensei, I'm sure Don is sorry about it. He did seem very upset after it happened." Leo responded.

"He may have had other reasons to be upset. All I'm saying my son, is like the saying goes, there's a thin line between genius and insanity. This can also be said about good and evil. I only hope that I am wrong about Donatello." Splinter said.

"Sensei…" Leo drifted off mid-sentence and they walked on in silence.

After lunch nearly everyone was settled in the living room area watching the TV someone threw away and Don fixed. Mari was in the Dojo practicing with her bokken. Don was supposed to join her in a few minutes, but first he wanted to get everything he would need to make a present for her. He was in his room, thinking it was the perfect opportunity since she wasn't around him for once. After about fifteen minutes he headed down the hall to the dojo, his small gift in his belt.

As he neared the door he heard shuffling inside. He knew for a fact Mari should be in there alone so he pulled out his bo and rushed in. Mari was nowhere in sight. He dashed to the small exit near the dojo knowing that was the only other way out. As he neared the street level he faintly heard a small scream and then a groan before silence. He crept quickly to street level and looked out. He saw Mari's bokken lying on the ground. He ran over to it and picked it up, looking around. He heard an unidentifiable sound in the distance. Mari… he thought. Why would she go street level? Why?! He screamed in his head before looking frantically in every direction. 

"MARI!" he shouted.

There was no response except a mild echo and the wind. He turned and dashed back inside. He ran straight into Raph who was outside the dojo door.

"Don! What happened? I heard you yell Mari on my way to go spar with you guys." He said ready for action.

"She's gone! She's-" he stopped mid-sentence and ran past Raph down the hall. Raph ran after him, contemplating Don's wild eyes a moment ago.

Don burst into the living room, Raph a second behind.

"Mari's gone! When I went to the dojo she was gone and I found this street level." He said somewhat panicked, holding out her bokken.

"Street level?" Raph said fingering his sais, anxious for a fight as always.

"You think she was turtlenapped?" Mike said seriously.

"Did you see anyone?" Leo asked.

"No, no one, but I heard a noise outside the dojo and when I was almost outside I heard a scream, I'm sure it was her. When I reached topside there was no sign of them anywhere, except…" he said and then looked down at her bokken which he still gripped.

Raph crossed his arms in front of himself. Mike sat unmoving.

"This doesn't look good." Leon said.

"I wonder why she went to the surface." Splinter said, echoing Don's thoughts.

Everyone was quiet a moment.

"She must have been exploring. She didn't know there was an exit there. She must have climbed out and been in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't understand who would take her, or who would be able to take her." Don said frustrated, now tapping his foot impatiently while his fingers grasping his bo which he held at his side.

"What are we going to do?" Michaelangelo asked.

"I don't see how there's anything we can do as of yet. We know nothing of who might have taken her. We have no leads and no clues." Leo said.

"We must find her though. Who knows what might happen." Splinter said.

"If it's a turtlenapper they'll probably get in touch with us about ransom or their demands." Mike said.

Everyone looked at him.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Mike said in response to the simultaneous looks.

"No, Mikey, for once you said something right." Raph said.

"Radical. Uh, what I say?" Mikey responded.

His brothers sighed at once. 

"Well until and if we get contacted, maybe we should have some patrols around to see if we see any new suspicious activity." Raph said, sounding strategical for once.

"I suppose that's all we can do." Leo said.

"Be careful my sons, as always." Splinter said from his seat on the old couch, both hands on his staff.

"Thanks Sensei. We will." Raph responded while twirling a sai around.

They made a search plan and shifts for lookout. Don was nervous and began to pace, tap his foot, tighten and loosed his grip on his bo, and other nervous reactions. Leo couldn't stand watching him like that after what Splinter had told him of his concerns for Don.

"Donny, relax, we'll find her. It'll do you no good to lose yourself." Leo said and then was unsure those were the right words to say.

"You're right, but I feel so helpless!" Don said frustrated.

A moment later Raph and Mike came back from their searches. There faces were both displeased looking.

"Did you find anything?" Leo asked them.

"You could say that." Mike said only half comedically.

"No, we didn't find anything." Raph said reaching for his belt, "I found this."

He handed the folded paper to Leon. Leo opened it and read it, his eyes generally going wide and then narrowing to a displeased look like the other two.

"What is it?" Don said before grabbing the paper.

"_Don, Once you have the mutated turtle disarm it and bring it to Trinity. She will take care of things from there and the turtle will serve its purpose. You may learn of this purpose if you agree to work with us further. If you agree, follow Trinity to the back alley. You'll know the rest from there. Striker" Don read it allowed._

"What is this? Is this some kind of joke?!" Don said getting angry.

"You tell us." Raph said discriminately.

"C'mon Raph, it's more likely another Don. Do you really believe it's our Donny?" Mike tried to reason when he wasn't so sure himself.

"It seems suspicious, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions. We don't really know for sure what this means." Leo said calmly.

Don looked away from his brothers. He knew they were all accusing him. He grabbed his bo and started walking out.

"Let's check all the back alleys. We gotta find something." He said.

Leon followed him and Raph eyed the floor while Mike turned and watch them go.

"Good Luck!" he called halfheartedly.

"Right." Raph said before walking off.


	2. Episode 2

 I do not own the ninja turtles or splinter. All original characters are ©Kat Monroe, i.e. me.

Donatello was working quietly in his room. He was not working on any type of experiment or new contraption; he was working on a plan. They had searched that day through every back ally they could until nightfall. The others were in there own respective rooms, most of them were probably asleep. Don had not spoken to his brothers since then. Don planned on going back out. He knew a few more alleys to check out and would never be able to sleep anyway. He would go alone, without his brothers, without his master's knowing. He had to find Mariko; nothing else mattered to him right now. He was sure once his brothers thought about it they'd realize that it couldn't have been him whom the letter was addressed.

He clenched his bo in his left hand as he went over his plan once more. He would search for her and bring her back on his own. She was his sole responsibility, so he needed to bring her back himself. His brothers did not need to get involved. He wasn't sure if Splinter would agree or not, but he had made his decision. He didn't know when he'd come back so he had packed a few measly things. He also still carried Mari's bokken with him.

"Mari…" he cried out softly.

He rose and moved swiftly out of his room, leaving a letter upon his desk. He left his home as quiet as he possible could. He made it out without anyone stopping him or anything. He wasn't sure if anybody had seen or heard him go or not. He didn't care much anyway. He headed around a corner and dashed into an alley, took a fire escape to a roof. He leapt from building to building, glancing at the alleys below occasionally. A few strays tears rolled down his face unnoticed.

Raph opened his eyes and scowled. Mikey was listening to music and making breakfast. Raph once again wondered why he ever chose this room when he knows Mikey gets up earlier then him and makes a ruckus. He slowly sat up and looked around. He felt a bit bad about accusing Don, but wasn't entirely sure that it wasn't him. He stretched and did a flip for good measure. He grabbed his sais and twirled them for a few minutes while he thought. Then he made sure his wraps were secure and plodded out. Sure, he could walk quieter, but he was grumpy and he wanted everyone to know.

"Mikey! Why do you always have to play that music every stinking morning?" he grouched.

"Sorry bro." he replied and turned it down some.

Raph blinked and watched his brother. He didn't seem as exuberant as he usually was. Maybe he was just feeling guilty too. Raph thought about going to apologize to Don, even if he wasn't too sure about his innocence. Surely Don would be up by now, however maybe…

His thoughts were cut off when Mikey sat a plate of what he termed "Breakfast Pizza" in front of him.

"Here you go, bro." Mikey said and sat down himself.

Raph sighed and started eating. After breakfast he would talk to him. Mikey was silent throughout breakfast, even as Splinter came in and got something bit healthier to eat.

"Good morning my sons." He said as he took a seat.

"Morning Sensei." They said about the same time.

Leo came in immediately after and went straight for a piece of anything and then walked back out. Raph finished and deposited his plate in the sink and walked in the direction Leo went. Splinter and Mikey sat quietly in the kitchen.

"Yo, Leon, what's going on?" Raph asked walking towards his brother.

Leo was sitting on the arm of the couch looking uneasy. He didn't answer him so Raph walked over and touched his shoulder.

"Hey, Leo!"

"What is it Raph?" he asked somewhat curtly.

"Jeesh, I was only seeing if you were okay." Raph said simply.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about." Leo said brashly.

"H-hey! There's isn't anything wrong with Don. C'mon, do you honestly believe-"

"No, I don't." Leo interrupted.

He sighed and stood up.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little edgy, I can't seem to meditate." he replied and walked away.

"Oh." Raph said as if that answered everything. As Mike and Splinter walked in, Raph decided to go talk to Don now.

He heard the tv turn on as he walked away from the living room and the light tapping of a cane as Splinter headed to wherever he was going. He stopped outside Don's room and took a deep breath. He knocked on the door and waited for a response. Raph listened and didn't hear anything from inside.

"Donny? You in there?" he asked and received no response.

He pushed the door and it opened. He peered inside and looked around. It was dark and he didn't see any vaguely turtle shapes. He stepped in and opened the door wider for light. He turned to the desk to find the lamp and saw a piece of paper in the light from the door. It looked like a letter. He flipped on the lamp and lifted the paper. It was a letter and he began to read it as it was addressed: To my family.

_To my family,_

_I have gone to find Mariko myself. She is my responsibility and therefore it should not concern you guys. I know that you don't particularly trust me right now and that this might look bad, but believe in me, please. I truly don't know anything about that letter, but I will not let whoever they are do anything to Mariko, if I can stop it. I will try my hardest and believe that you believe in me. Please let me go this one alone. I love you all, but I need to do this. I do not know when I will be back, or if I'll make it back. All I ask is that you believe in me, like I've always believed in you guys._

_Sensei, you have taught me much, and I will try to do the best at what you have taught me. I hope you understand why I feel I must take on this mission alone. I will try and make you proud, as a Sensei and a father. Please keep my brothers from trying to follow me, please father. I need to handle this myself._

_Mikey, I borrowed some left-overs, in case you're wondering where they went. Keep everyone's spirits up; it's what you do best. I love you, no matter what you think of me._

_Raph, somehow I think you'll read this first. I don't know how, but something tells me you will. Please let me go alone. You of all the rest might try and come after me. I don't need protecting Raph. Believe in me, please._

_Leonardo, please get some rest. I know you have been stressed lately. The last thing I want to do is add to it, but I have to go. Please, don't worry about me, please. Think about yourself a little Leo; Sensei will be fine._

_I have to go now before anyone wakes. Everyone, remember, this is my mission, it's important I go alone. As a ninja, I request a solitary right to this mission, a mission of proof of passage. Sayonara, I love you all._

_                                                                 Donatello_

Raph ran out of the room with the letter and straight to Splinter's room. He opened the door, frankly feeling this was more important then having interrupted his meditation. Splinter blinked and looked at Raph a moment. He slowly rose to his feet and walked towards him, taking the letter. He read it. He sighed and read further. He lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"There is nothing we can do, Raphael, please pass this along to your brothers." He handed the letter back.

Raph stood there in shock for a moment.

"I… I understand Sensei." He said and walked away.

Splinter watched him go and decided to follow.

Raph handed Mikey the letter and he read it. As he was reading it Leo came down the hall with Splinter. He had heard his sensei's door burst open and had gone to see what was the matter. His sensei met him in the hall and led the way.

Mikey tried to speak unsuccessfully.

"Wha…he..Ra…" his eyes began to water before softening.

"What's going on?" Leo asked less then pleased.

"Here." Mike said softly.

Leo read the letter quietly. He looked over at Splinter who had taken a seat.

"I have read it as well." Splinter replied.

"I see." Leo set the letter down and walked away without another word.

"Are we… Sensei" Mike tried.

"There is nothing we can do, except of course, believe in him." Splinter said and closed his eyes a moment.

Raph watched his Sensei and father watched tv with them. He seemed so wise and at the same time so… alive? Splinter smiled; it was a simple fatherly smile.

"Believe, my son. It will be enough."

"Yes… father." Raph said.

Splinter smiled a little more warmly and stood. He placed a hand on his shoulder before walking back to his room. Raph sat alone in the living room on the couch. He was thinking to himself, unaware of the tv in front of him. 

Donatello crouched in the darkness in an alley. He was looking towards a door with a crackling light above it. There were a few drops of blood on the ground leading to the door. Don clenched his bo tightly.

'Mariko…'

He had heard some commotion and a feminine voice and followed the sound to this alley. He arrived only to see a door close, the one he was currently looking at. He listened for sounds from inside but heard none. He crept closer and knelt to the side of the door. He heard a slight rustling from inside and nothing more. He clenched his bo again, faintly aware that it would only take a little more force to break it. He loosened his grip a little and reached for the knob.

He turned the knob expecting it to be locked. He almost gasped in surprise when it opened easily. He peered cautiously into the tiny crack he had opened the door. There was a light some distance in and voices that he couldn't make out. One seemed to be a girl's voice, somewhat frantic and upset. Don looked down and saw more spots of blood. His heart beat a little faster.

'Turtle blood…' 

He wasn't sure how he knew, but felt for sure that that's what it was. It had to be Mariko's. He sniffed the air. It smelled of dust and age, also of chemicals. He looked around through the crack once again before making his way inside. He was as silent as can be. He slowly let the door close and went into the shadows. He stealthily made his way towards the voices. He slowly looked between some very very dusty crates. Cobwebs brushed by his face. He could just make out the voices now. His eyes widened as he saw someone shoving someone into an office. He only caught the person being shoved's arm, and it was green. He forced himself to stay as he listened to the voices.

"Don, you shouldn't have come if you weren't going take part. It's too late to turn back now." A tenor voice.

"If you will not go through with it, I will have Egan do so instead. It makes no difference to me." A high bass voice.

"You don't even know if humans are even compatible with them!" a baritone, apparently the man named Don retorted.

"It matters not. If this fails we will merely move on to in-vitro fertilization. It's simply makes more sense to try this way first." The high bass.

"Can we begin now or are you still being difficult?" the tenor, apparently named Egan.

"At least have her wounds bandaged." The man named Don pled.

"If it matters to you so much, do so before you sow your seeds so to speak." The high bass.

Donatello's eyes were narrow, his teeth clenched.

'How dare they. How _dare_ they!' he thought fiercely.

The man named Don swallowed and entered the office followed by a smirking Egan. Donatello stood and kicked the crates over harshly. The man with the high bass voice stared at Donatello. The man just stood there with both hands on is cane staff. The man named Egan opened the door to the room he just entered to see what the commotion was. There Donatello stood, almost glowing, looking quite hostile.

"Who the hell are you?" Egan spat, seemingly unphased by the fact that he was talking to a turtle.

Instead of answering Don used his staff like a vaulting pole and kicked the man hard. He fell back against the door hard. The man with the high bass voice narrowed his eyes at him.

"A ninja? Who is your sensei boy?" he asked condescendingly.

"Donatello ignored the man and pushed the half conscious Egan away from the door and proceeded to open the door. The other man attempted to whack him on the head with his cane staff.

"Insolent boy. Apparently your sensei never taught you manners, unless you're a lowly ronin that is." the man taunted.

Donatello glared at the man and in an instant swung his bo at him. The man blocked it easily. They looked into each other's eyes without speaking. Don swung again this time at his legs. The man jumped over the bo and swung his staff out as well. Don ducked the swing.

"Why are you here boy?" the man asked. 

At that moment a cry was heard from the other side of the door.

"Mariko!" Donatello gasped and lunged for the door.

He was blocked by the man's staff.

"What is this girl to you?" the man asked sounding curious for once.

"Who are you?" Donatello asked.

"I could ask you the same. Nonetheless, my name is Florence, though no one ever calls me such. Now answer my question." The man spoke while beginning to walk around.

"My name is Donatello. I came for my friend who you kidnapped!" Donatello nearly growled.

Donatello breathed deep a few times to calm down. 

'Losing your temper so easy Don? You're beginning to be like Raph. No…, Raph hasn't been like that for a while now.'

Don sighed to himself and focused on the man before him.

"Kidnapped? I see… That was unfortunate. It should not have happened. I will deal with that later, now who has trained you?"  he asked discarding the current subject.

"Stop asking questions and let her go." Don answered.

"Ronin then?" the man smiled a bit.

"I protect my sensei's privacy. Now release her or fight." Donatello spoke.

At his own words immediate thoughts flew through his head. 

'I don't want to fight.' 'Why can't passivism work just once?' 'Why does there always have to be a fight before the happy ending?' 'Why is everyone so hostile?' 'I practically asked for this fight, didn't I?'

At that last thought he felt that he had asked for it. He was, after all, a ninja and fighting was what they did. So why did that upset him? He had no more time to wonder.

"Very well." The man spoke and took up an immediate stance.

Donatello went for the door again and the old man blocked and just missed hitting Donny in the head. Egan rubbed his head and looked around, regaining full consciousness. Donatello moved away from him. He thrust a kick at the older man. The man blocked it with his staff and twisted the staff in a way that nearly caused Donny to fall. He spun and landed on his feet, blocking another blow with his bo. 

The fight proceeded with each of them blocking every attempt. A scream and commotion behind the door caused Donatello's blood to race. He fought harder and finally managed to jab the man in the chest. At that moment Egan jump kicked him from behind. Donatello fall forward some and spun around to face the man. He swung his bo at Egan while kicking at the other man in a surprising feat. The older man, though in a bit of pain from the blow to his abs, managed to block the kick. He had a look of admiration on his face.

"Nice move." He spoke quietly.

Donatello didn't respond and simply focused on fighting the two. Egan was knocked in the head by the heel of Don's foot pretty quick. The old man was tougher. A clamor from behind the door distracted Donny momentarily in which the older man attacked. He hit Don in the chest on his right near the side under his shoulder. Donatello ignored the pain as was taught and swung his bo at the man with surprising force. The man was hit directly and went sliding on the floor. Donatello flew towards the door. He turned the handle as the old man was gradually getting up. Several voices were heard coming from a different direction.

Some light flooded an area nearby as the door to outside was thrust open. Donatello hesitated only a moment to look behind him. A couple of men came in and began shouting.

"Old man! I want my payment! I want my payment for the girl!" He ignored Donatello completely and stared at the man who was beginning to stand from his sitting position.

"She was not yours to give. You should not have taken a strange girl. We had our arrangements. We had our own mutant." The old man said while standing.

The old man absently whacked Don's hand as he saw his muscles tense to thrust open the door.

"Ah!" Donny gasped and held his hand.

"That's not important! A mutant is a mutant, I got you what you wanted, you should be happy! You should be happy to have a different one to work with so you have more odds of your little plan of working." The man tried feebly to reason.

Donatello reached for the door again as he saw about five men come running from somewhere in the direction behind and to the left of the old man. Donatello glanced at the older man to his right once more and blocked the repeat attempt to keep him from the room.

"Gah!" the new guy screamed and ran for the older man.

The older man stood there as two of the other men that arrived ran to the charging fool. A punch and a kick later the man was kneeling on the ground clutching his stomach before the older man. Donatello flung the door open at the man's distraction and stopped abruptly at the sight before him.

The man named Don was knelt on the floor with a hand on the girl's leg. He looked at Donatello with some fear and sadness. He moved away from the girl without a word. The girl stared up at him in fear. She was curled up in a corner. Donatello just stared for a moment in stunned silence. His stomach churned a bit in depression. Suddenly he was being hit in the stomach and thrown backwards. He fell into the crates he knocked down earlier. They broke from his landing and the boards cut into his skin. His head throbbed in the back. A board must have cut in him there. He saw the older man just barely smirking at him and two of the five men walking towards him. He blinked as everything got blurry. As his consciousness drifted away and the pain fading, only one thought remained in his head, the same one that was there since he had opened the door expecting to find Mariko.

'It's not her.'


	3. Episode 3

Mutant Ninja Turtles

A New Dawn

Donny slowly opened his eyes. He blinked to clear his vision and gradually sat up. He was in a room and that girl was staring at him. He blinked again just to be sure. He winced slightly as he moved his feet to a more comfortable position. He rubbed the back of his head for a moment. He laid his hand on his leg and looked over at her after looking around once more.

The room was similar to the one he had burst into sure that Mariko was in there. This room was more barren however, and the door appeared to only open from the outside. The ceiling was solid as the walls, which seemed to be something other than wood; what exactly it was, he couldn't figure out. The floor was plain and a small crate stood in one corner. A smaller one was beside the girl, who had her legs curled to her body and looking directly at him. He blinked at her once more.

"Who are you?" he asked softly, in a curious but polite way.

"I don't know." she answered monotonously.

"My name's Donatello. I'm looking for a friend of mine. Her name's Mariko and she's a river turtle mutant. Have you seen anyone like that?" he asked her.

She blinked at him. "I don't know." she said softly.

Donatello sighed, feeling faintly annoyed. "What happened after I passed out? Are you all right?" he asked, absently touching his head again and wondering if it were only bruised or worse.

"They brought us here." she answered one of the two questions, sort of.

"Why? I mean, why lock us up together?" he asked.

She blinked incredulously at him. "Do you know what they made me for, what they plan to do with me?"

"I have an idea." he said slightly disgustedly.

"Take a guess why they put us together then." she said eye lids lowering.

Donny's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's why?" he asked.

She nodded once before laying her chin on her arms that were resting on her bent knees. Donny looked around again, paying close attention to the details in the room. He couldn't find anything that could be a camera or where one would be. The room was quite empty except for the two small crates, which seemed to be empty. The crates appeared to be something to sit on or something that just happened to be in the room when they were tossed in. He brought his gaze back to her.

"There doesn't appear to be any devices watching us. How would they know if we did or not?" he asked nobody in particular.

The girl seemed to curl up tighter and turned away. Donny blinked at this and wondered what had happened to her. He reached out and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She recoiled at the touch and stared up at him with wide eyes.

"What's wrong? Did they hurt you? You can trust me, I won't hurt you. I plan on getting us both out of here as soon as I figure out how." he spoke gently to her.

"They'll just examine me and find out if we mated like they want. They'll never let you go. I'm sure they'd think of a way to do it even if you refused to do what they want. Besides, there's nothing out there, no where to go for a freak like me, us." she said, eyes watering.

He rested his hand on her shoulder again and this time she let him.

"I have a family out there; you could stay with us, my father, brothers, and when I find her again, my very special friend Mariko. We have a couple human friends who visit us now and then too, April and Casey. You just have to trust me." he replied softly, reassuring.

"Your family are freaks like us?" she asked genuinely curious.

"Yes. My brother's and I are turtles, our father is a rat. My brother's and I sometimes call our selves mutant ninja turtles." he continued to speak in hushed tones, a small, encouraging smile on his face.

"Ninja? You are a ninja? Or do you call yourselves that for another reason?" she asked, almost casually.

He returned his hand from her shoulder to his lap.

"Our father taught us after he found and raised us. Mariko was learning it as well." he grew somber towards the end.

"Donatello, this Mariko, you... really care for her." she spoke hesitantly.

Donny sighed as his brain screamed an immediate response, 'Yes, more then life.' The thought only served to cause his heart to become heavier.

"Yes, I do." he whispered softly looking down. He sighed and looked back up at her. He brought his one hand up that forever held Mariko's bokken. "This was hers. I found it where she disappeared." He brought it back against his body and closed his eyes.

"You love her." the girl said warmly.

They remained quiet for awhile. The girl shifted uncomfortably.

"They may have her, I don't know. If they do, they might be doing something to her right now." the girl shifted again in apparent discomfort.

Donatello looked at her and then at the door. His eyes darkened and became half lidded. He took a deep breath, realizing that getting angry in a tiny room with no escape and an innocent turtle girl inside wasn't going to get him anywhere. Once again Don was reminded of how like Raph he had been lately. It annoyed him, he was supposed to be the level headed smart one, not let his emotions and frustrations get to him like Raph. Suddenly Donatello was snapped out of his reverie. His nose twitched slightly and his eyes widened. He turned back to the girl.

She was curled up tight and fidgeting. Her eyes were closed and a tear made its way down her face. He felt his mind swirl and he staggered. 'No!' he screamed at himself and turned away from her. He practically jumped to the other end of the room, as far as possible from the girl. Her scent was doing things to him that he didn't like.

He heard her start sobbing. She cried out between sobs, "I'm... sorry... they... gave me... h-hormone stuff..., they wanted... t-t-to ensure th-that... you'd..." and she cried not finishing her sentence.

He swallowed hard. He had to resist this. 'For Mariko, I have to fight.' he thought fiercely. He forced himself to look away from the crying, fidgeting girl. He covered his nose and breathed lightly through his mouth. He momentarily considered making himself pass out, but placed the thought aside as a plan B in case he couldn't hold out. He swallowed dryly, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this. There wasn't anyone who would come and save him. He'd didn't want to think about his emotional being if he couldn't control himself. He was stuck in a room with no escape except the door, which doesn't open from the inside and his bo not on his person, not that he even knew if it would help or not anyway. 'Kuso' he thought and let a tear fall down his cheek. He let his body drift to the floor and seriously considered letting himself pass out.

A thought crossed his mind at that moment. Breathing, air… His eyes widened. He frantically darted his eyes about the room for an air vent or some way that air was getting into the room. The door went straight to the floor, the light shining dimly from a small light in the center of the ceiling, walls plain as the ceiling. He got on all fours and scrambled to the crate farthest from the girl. She jumped backwards surprised, eyes wide. Don threw the crate across the room to see what behind it. The crate broke a bit at the contact to the far wall. He moved over to the other crate and hesitated at the girl's frightened look. He gently grabbed the crate and slid it out of the way. He blinked at his discovery, and then blinked again for not thinking of it before. He shook his head a small smile on his face. He sighed and crawled up close to the vent he discovered.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

He kept examining the grate over the vent. His main concern was whether they would fit into it. He answered her without tearing his gaze from the vent.

"Trying to get out of here."

She blinked incredulously at the back of his head.

Don reached into his shell and his arm reappeared with a small tool kit. He unwrapped it and pulled out a screwdriver. He began to unscrew the vent. The girl stared at him in surprise. After a few moments she managed to speak.

"You keep tools in your shell?!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just some emergency tools just in case. You won't believe all the times it comes in handy. I should have started doing it years ago." He said continuing unscrewing the screws holding the vent. He was glad it wasn't bolted, that would have proved more difficult.

"Handy for what?" she asked bewildered.

"I'm a bit of a mechanical genius." He answered humbly.

She blinked surprised. "Wow." She mumbled.

A small smile crossed his features for a tiny moment at picking up her mumbled remark. A second later the vent was removed. He was judging the size of it and pulled out a mini measuring tape. He smiled and sighed in relief. They would barely fit, he hoped. It could get smaller anytime in there. He turned to her getting to his knees.

"Okay. You coming?" he asked.

"In there? We don't even know where that goes." She replied unconvinced.

"It's this or stay in here. I don't want to leave you here, I said we'd get out of here." He answered.

"I didn't believe you," She said flatly and slowly started towards the opening, "You first."

He nodded and jumped in after stuffing his tools back in his shell, pulling his limbs in as well. She arched an eye at this but sighed and slid in too, closing her eyes. After a fast but short ride the floor gave out below him and he fell to the ground on his back. He had just brought his limbs out to get up when the girl fell on top of him. He grumbled internally until she hurriedly pushed off. He sat up and looked around. It was dark and dank wherever they were. He could smell water and took it as a good sign.

"Stay close." He said to her.

She nodded in the near darkness and they walked forward. They reached a wall and a door. Don listened at the door. It seemed quiet on the other side. He slowly opened it a little. He cringed slightly at the sudden light but adjusted quickly. His eyed widened at what he saw. It was a lab, with several unwell looking mutants. He swallowed and took a slow breath. He opened the door more and stepped in. A couple mutants looked their way; the other few continued laying still. The girl gasped and stood back by the door.

"What is this place?" Donatello whispered to no one.

"It's the experiment room." The girl answered breathlessly.

Don looked around unable to believe what he was seeing. These creatures were in horrid condition. A feline looking creature lay shaking, patches of its fur missing and filthy, while nearby a strange mutant combination lay simply trying to breath. Some kind of lizard stared directly at him unmoving from his laying position. A frog was curled up shaking and crying silently in a corner with a chain around its neck. A furry mutant, likely a wolf or similar was also looking at him, but only from a half laying position. It seemed the most alive.

Don avoided looking at the horrible instruments on the one large table. There were a few small cages next to it holding several actual small animals. This prompted Don to look and see if the mutagen was about. He would destroy it. Unfortunately he didn't see it. There was nothing else in the room except dirt and mold and bugs. Don didn't know if he could help these creatures. Most didn't look like they could walk. Some looked like they would die any time now. Movement caused Don to jerk his head back towards the chained frog. It stared at him a moment, its eyes holding a desperation, pain, and fear.

The creature reached out towards Don helplessly, weakly. Don walked over to it and examined the chain. The creature curled up afraid again. He pulled out his tools again and pulled out a small lock pick. He began picking the heavy lock. He wasn't as good at this as his other skills. After awhile he managed to unlock it. When it fell unlocked Don sighed and the frog looked at the lock in disbelief. It looked towards Don and as soon as Don removed the chain from its neck it weakly threw itself at him and sobbed quietly.

Don stood shakily with this creature on him. He helped, what he now knew as a female from the contact, to stand. He helped her over to the door and to the other girl. She hesitantly took the frog. Don turned and looked at the others who now all seemed to be looking at him. He swallowed. He knew he couldn't save them all, not in their conditions. Maybe if he came back with his brothers… hopefully they believe him now, believe that he is innocent in Mariko's disappearance. He swallowed again looking at all their faces.

"I need to tell my brothers about this. They can help, hopefully. I may be able to help them, you all, if we can get you to my place. I know a bit of medicine, to make you better." Don turned around and looked at the girl holding the frog.

"Are we leaving them?" she asked.

"We have to; we'd never escape with them so badly hurt. I will come back with my brothers; I promise we will help them if we can." Don started out the door.

"Didn't you say you were a ninja?" she asked a bit upset.

"A true warrior knows when to ask for help, my sensei taught us that. Let's go." He said and stepped forward again.

The girl took one last glance at the sad faces and stepped out letting the door close. After a few steps Don took the frog's other arm to help. Don led them towards the scent of water. Eventually Don sighed happily as he stepped onto a familiar metal cover. He looked down and smiled. He released his arm from the feline and knelt before the sewer cover. As he moved to find a grip to pull it open the girl's eyes widened. The frog girl wasn't paying much attention, or didn't seem to be at least.

"We're not going down there are we?" she asked a bit panicky.

Don smirked. "Yup."

"But that's the sewer!" she said exasperated.

He gave her a look that said it's this or nothing and she swallowed and remained quiet, eyes wide. Don finally pulled the cover up with a heave and looked down a moment. He hopped down with ease and reached up to help the next person. As the girl was preparing herself the frog pushed away from her and stepped into the hole falling into Don's arms. He set her down gently and looked back up.

"Com on." He whispered up to her. She got on her hands and knees and slowly backed in clenching her eyes. Her foot caught a ladder and Don helped guide her down.

"Eww." She said when the smell caught up with her.

"Heh." Don replied.

He began walking ahead putting an arm around the feline for support. The other girl quickly caught up and did the same. They walked for some time, Don memorizing their path along the way. Eventually Don had led them to another sewer cover and started climbing up. He pushed the cover up a little and looked around. It was late afternoon it appeared. 'Good' he thought and slid the cover across.

"Come on." He whispered to the two below.

They crawled out Don looked around at where they were. He ran across the street quickly with the other two and down an alley. Eventually he led them to another sewer entrance after traveling above ground for a good fifteen minutes.

"Again? Why didn't we just stay down there?" she complained.

"Not all of the tunnels are connected to each other, that's why. Now be quiet and get in there." She complied reluctantly and they traveled the sewers again for awhile.

These sewers, the girl noticed, were dryer and older looking. Parts of the walls crumbled a bit and the air didn't smell nearly as bad. After awhile they ducked into a hole in one wall and walked around for awhile longer. The frog seemed to be growing increasingly tired. The turtle girl was getting winded herself but kept quiet.

"Just a little further." He said softly to the frog.

She made a small noise of understanding and they continued on. This area was full of debris and eventually they ducked into a few more holes. Then after one more it all opened up to a dark cemented area. Don sighed and a rush of adrenalin caused him to walk so much faster he was practically dragging the other two. He slowed after only a few seconds and turned and walked slowly towards a door. He opened it and you could see another door, though this one was obviously handmade.

The girl turtle had noticed to low ceiling and the slantedness of it. Don opened the other door and removed himself from supporting the feline. He was tense. He wasn't sure how his brothers would act and he felt guilty a little for coming back without Mariko. He had written in the note that he wouldn't return until he found her. He clenched his eyes at the pain in his chest that her name and the thought of her brought. He sighed trying to get a hold of himself and helped the frog again. The girl turtle looked at him curiously. Don led them forward down a short hallway that led to a living room area. Everyone was seated there.

They all looked at them when they walked in. Don swallowed and looked at his sensei, his father, avoiding his brothers' looks. He spoke finally, ignoring the look of relief and curiosity from Mike, the suspecting and worried looks from Raph and Leo. He focused on the calm look of his father.

"I found these two in my search. They were… there's a very evil man who is trying to breed mutant turtles and is apparently doing experiments with other mutants as well. There were four others who were in too poor of condition for me to be able to get them out on my own. I came to… to ask you all to go help free them and stop these horrible people. I… I do not know if… if they have h-h-her or not." Don paused and swallowed, cursing internally at the feeling of tears burning his eyes.

"Hello." The girl turtle managed nervously and a bit surprised.

The room was silent for a few minutes.

"Who are you?" Raph ventured to ask the girl.

"I don't know." She answered softly, slightly afraid.

"What about you?" he asked to the feline.

She shook her head and made a little sound of exhaustion. Don and the girl turtle helped her to sit down on a chair that Mikey had vacated on their entrance.

"This is indeed troubling my sons," Splinter finally spoke to the boys, "My name is Splinter. These are my sons, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and it seems you've already met Donatello." Splinter introduced them to the girls.

"I don't have a name." the turtle girl said.

The frog cocked her head slightly at the turtle and then yawned.

"Would you like a name?" Splinter asked her.

"I… yes." She replied softly.

"How about Itsuko." He suggested.

"I… think I like that." She smiled a tiny bit.

"So, Itsuko, can you tell me what has happened to you, as much as you can remember. Start from the beginning." He said softly.

Itsuko sighed a bit and tried to smile. For some reason this Splinter seemed to emanate a calming presence. So, she began her story, from everything she knew. It was the first time she would ever tell anyone of her life. She was still replaying all that she had seen on their brief trip aboveground. She was still afraid she'd be brought back to that place. She looked into the wise old rat's eyes and became at peace, at least for now.


End file.
